The Moraine Superhighway

It felt good to be back on what I’d dubbed as “The Moraine Superhighway”, under the blazing sun and in the shadow of Mount Everest. Acclimatised to 6000m, kit bags packed and yaks loaded we were ready to go.

Our timing wasn’t quite impeccable as we set out from Base Camp at exactly the same time as a colourful train of about 40 heavily laden yaks carrying up fully stuffed kit bags, burlap bags bursting at the seams, tonnes of food, gallons of water, gas, generators, tents mattresses up to Advanced Base Camp (ABC). A colourful 21 kilometre congo line up to 6400m. The yaks are truly magnificent creatures - docile, strong and steady with their thick coats, giant horns and sure-footed steps along even the most challenging rocky terrain. The yak trains of 6-8 yaks per 'group’ are managed by 1 or 2 local Tibetan men with their dark hair tied up in braids, sporting oily old North Face jackets and the most basic of footwear - even to the point of flip flops. The Tibetans who follow the yaks’ steady pace and ensure they stay on the loosely defined path. Should they veer off the path they are whistled and shouted at causing the yaks to duly oblige.

I spent about 1.5 hours trailing behind the yaks hypnotised by their steady steps and the rhythmic sounds of ‘clanging’ of the giant bells around their trunk like necks. The weather was perfect and the scenery stunning.

The 21km trail from BC to ABC winds its way around beautiful turquoise glacial lakes, ice seracs that have stood frozen in time for thousands of years and along narrow rocky ridges that offer a stupendous view of the valley and Mount Everest itself. The moraine superhighway follows a trail carved out of the glacial valley. While the path is clear to follow it is made up of loose flat rock or ‘scree’ that shifts annoyingly and unsteadily underfoot. The valley is lined on either side by towering brown rocky cliffs that send down rock falls on a regular basis. Giant ice seracs are also found lining the trail as the altitude increases. If it wasn’t for the altitude, associated shortness of breath and overpowering stench of yak dung, the loose rocky scree with risk of 20 tonne bounders falling on your head in rock-fall it would really be an absolutely stunning walk...

About 9kms into the route to ABC is ’IC’ or ‘Interim Camp’. This camp is used as a ‘resting stop’ on the journey up to ABC if the 21km walk can’t be made in a day. Facilities at IC are pretty basic - a tent and basic facilities for the local cuisine - dahl baht - or rice with lentil soup and a sort of spicy vegetable ragu. Delicious. In spite of its very basic facilities, I like Interim Camp and am not sure if hiking from BC to ABC in one day would do me (or my sanity!) any favours.

The team is doing well -everyone is in good spirits and raring to go. Stomach bugs have cleared leaving the next physical challenge to be altitude. It felt great to get out and get going. With the first few steps I found my rhythm and up the moraine super highway I go.

Picture: Route up to ABC.

CBC.ca | The Bridge | We check in with Mt. Everest adventurer...Heather Geluk . She's now at the Base camp and the weather isn't good.

CBC.ca | The Bridge | We check in with Mt. Everest adventurer...Heather Geluk . She's now at the Base camp and the weather isn't good.

Challenge 7- Sacred Pilgrimage of Adventure

In this Challenge, students learn about the religious traditions of those living around Mount Everest, in particular the Puja Ceremony and the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Rongbuk, which was once the largest monastic centre in the region. For the Buddhist, Rongbuk is a sacred threshold to Mt. Everest and is set against one of the most dramatic views in the world. The Rongbuk Monastery was founded in 1902 in an area of meditation huts that had been in use by nuns and hermits for over 400 years.

Central to the Buddhist religion and forming an integral part of any Nepalese or Tibetan expedition is the ‘Puja Ceremony’, during which the Sherpas pay homage to the mountain deity. The ceremony is the starting point for all Everest expeditions. A local Llama (not to be confused with the animal!) travels from the Rongbuk monastery to conduct the ceremony, reading from a book of sacred prayers while sitting in front of a stone altar covered with offerings of cookies, chocolate bars, popcorn, rice and beer. During this ceremony all climbers and equipment are blessed before beginning the ascent of the mountain. Marking the end of the formal ceremony, ‘tsampa’ (a roasted barley flour) is thrown into the air and rubbed on the faces of fellow team-mates and everyone is given a silk scarf as a symbol of being blessed.

Fieldwork on behalf of students of Ridgetown District High School, Sevenoaks School and Future Hope School:

I knew something was up when Sonam, a quiet and humble Sherpa had an unmistakable glint of mischief in his eyes. The tiny Llama, dressed in a burgundy "Helly Hansen" branded jacket over a wine coloured 'robe' with grease stains along the hems began to chant louder in what appeared to be the climax of the puja as his yellowed fingers followed the Cyrillic liturgy on the prayer book in front of his knees. He sat cross legged in front of the stone "stupa" (a sort of stone alter) which was covered from top to bottom in offerings flour, cakes, precious oils, cut up Bounty bars, Mars bars, Snickers bars… as well as an assortment of beverages including Everest’s finest whiskey as a sacrifice to Chomolunga.

The Llama’s intonation increased to an even higher, louder decibel as he threw his arms in the air releasing handfuls of tsampa flour as clouds of yellow dust high into the sky. The Sherpas, fully prepared for the move, eagerly followed his lead. An arc of grey 'dust' flew through the air and for one brief moment seemed suspended in time - a halo of flour superimposed over the omnipresent plume of spindrift coming off Everest’s peak.

The Sherpas laughed at our surprise as the flour fell back down to earth and enveloped us in a giant cloud of dust-flour. It took about one milli-second for us to follow the Sherpas’ lead as we too thrust our handfuls of flour into the air - or rather, tactfully launched the handfuls of flour at a nearest possible victim. Screams of adrenaline could be heard around the camp as we chased each other around the stupa with the ultimate aim of covering the potential victim with the 'flour wipe' of good luck and good fortune.

There were about 45 of us who participated - the entire expedition team from all ranks and all walks of life - who participated in the puja. The ceremony lasted about 1.5 hours in total and ended formally with the flour throwing and informally with an afternoon of gorging ourselves on chocolate, beer and shots of whiskey as the snow began to fall. It was an extremely enjoyable and fun-filled yet richly symbolic morning. The end of the puja ceremony symbolised that we were officially allowed to begin our ascent of Everest and that the appropriate prayers, blessings and sacrifices had been made.

The whole expedition now seems even more 'real'. The 1.5 metre stone monument stands as a prime focal point in the middle of our 'tent city' giving the skyline a truly authentic look as 5-streams of prayer flags in the colors of red, green white, blue and yellow radiate from its core to various points in the Camp.

Before the Llama left to join the Sherpas for a last 'hurrah' and some of Everest finest brew in the Sherpa tent, we each received an individual blessing from the Llama, bending humbly on our knees as he placed a blessed silk scarf around our necks as well as a thin piece of red cord to be worn throughout the duration of the expedition. These symbols serve to protect us and lead us to a safe return after our individual summit attempts.

It felt "humbling" to be a part of something which is so clearly an integral part of the Sherpa tradition and Sherpa beliefs. There is a certain indescribable 'power' surrounding Everest that certainly puts into context the significance of such a ceremony. As I look out at the panorama from my tent - the stupa with its realms of multi-colored prayer flags flapping in the breeze against the clear blue sky and in the shadow of 'The Mother Goddess' herself, I can not help but feel part of her spell, her magic, her power.